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Everything You Need to Know About the 2022 Ford Ranger

One Turbo Gasoline And Three Turbo Diesels, Including A New 3.0 V6 Diesel

Everything You Need to Know About the 2022 Ford Ranger
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Everything You Need to Know About the 2022 Ford Ranger
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One of the main highlights of the new 2022 Ford Ranger is the introduction of a 3.0-liter V6 turbo diesel engine. Unfortunately, Ford did not give any horsepower figures for this engine, or for any engine to be offered for that matter. The only detail that the company shared is that it “feels really tough in the sense that it’s got endless power and torque, which is exactly what our customers wanted”.

Considering that diesel engines are not that popular here in North America, the chances of Ford offering this engine on our market are slim. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t hurt for us to imagine what a torquey diesel-fed V-6 Ranger would feel like.

As for the other diesel engines, this will be a 2.0-liter diesel in single- and twin-turbo configurations. In the outgoing Ranger, the single-turbo motor produced 180 horsepower and 310 lb-ft (420 Nm) of torque, while the twin-turbo diesel produced 210 horsepower and 370 lb-ft (500 Nm) of torque.

Ford will also continue to offer the 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbo gasoline engine, though just like the other engines, Ford did not provide any power figures. For the outgoing model, it produced 269 horsepower and 310 lb-ft (410 Nm) of torque.

Transmission options for the new 2022 Ford Ranger include a 10-speed automatic, 6-speed automatic, and a 6-speed manual.

Upgraded T6 Platform, Increased Capability

Everything You Need to Know About the 2022 Ford Ranger
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Everything You Need to Know About the 2022 Ford Ranger
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The new 2022 Ford Ranger rides on an upgraded T6 platform that offers increased capability and better comfort, and it can also support electrification in the future

Ford confirmed that the Ranger rides on an upgraded T6 platform that features a 50 mm (1.97 in) longer wheelbase and a 50 mm (1.97 in) wider track compared to the outgoing model. The company also says it has a hydro-formed front-end structure that’s designed to accommodate the bigger V6 engine while also allowing a high degree of electrification. Additionally, this structure enables more airflow to the radiator, which helps keep operating temperatures low when towing or carrying heavy loads.

Everything You Need to Know About the 2022 Ford Ranger
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Everything You Need to Know About the 2022 Ford Ranger
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Ford also improved the Ranger’s ride and handling through its 1.97-inch longer wheelbase and 1.97-inch wider body, revised suspension, among other structural improvements

Ford also made improvements to its ride and handling capabilities. By moving the front wheels forward by 50 mm (1.97 in), its approach angle and wheel articulation has been improved. The rear leaf spring suspension dampers have also been moved outboard of the frame rails as a way to improve its ride both on- and off-road. Off-road recovery is also made easier with the prominent dual recovery hooks in the front bumper.

Everything You Need to Know About the 2022 Ford Ranger
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Everything You Need to Know About the 2022 Ford Ranger
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Two four-wheel drive (4WD) systems will be offered—an electronic shift-on-the-fly system and an advanced full-time 4×4 system that Ford says has a “reassuring set-and-forget mode”.

Lastly, two four-wheel drive (4WD) systems will be offered—an electronic shift-on-the-fly system and an advanced full-time 4×4 system that Ford says has a “reassuring set-and-forget mode”.

If The Ford Maverick And F-150 Had A Child, The Ranger Would Be It

Everything You Need to Know About the 2022 Ford Ranger
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Everything You Need to Know About the 2022 Ford Ranger
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From the outside, the new 2022 Ranger looks like the lovechild of the Maverick and the F-150, with its C-shaped lights, horizontal grille, sculpted hood, and imposing front end.

From the outside, the new 2022 Ranger looks like the lovechild of the Maverick and the F-150. It’s not a bad thing, mind you, because the pickup looks properly modern and sleek. Shown here is the global model, though whichever region the Ranger will be sold, all models now have a more imposing front end that’s characterized by a horizontal grille that’s flanked by C-shaped headlights. Higher variants even come with LED daytime running lights and headlights with Matrix LED technology.

Everything You Need to Know About the 2022 Ford Ranger
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Everything You Need to Know About the 2022 Ford Ranger
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The side profile is more on the evolutionary side of things, while the rear end gets a more sculpted tailgate, new taillight designs, and an integrated step on the sides of the rear bumper

Covering its engine bay is a more prominent hood, while the side profile is more on the evolutionary side of things. Moving towards the rear, there’s a new set of taillights, with higher variants featuring LED lighting. The tailgate is also more sculpted than before, and for the first time, the global Ford Ranger has an integrated step board at the sides of the rear bumper.

A Modern And Technologically-Advanced Interior

Everything You Need to Know About the 2022 Ford Ranger
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Everything You Need to Know About the 2022 Ford Ranger
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Ford calls this pickup the “smartest, most versatile and most capable Ranger ever”. The “smartest” part is evident in the interior, where it debuts a number of firsts for the Ranger nameplate.

Everything You Need to Know About the 2022 Ford Ranger
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Everything You Need to Know About the 2022 Ford Ranger
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Whereas the Ranger pretty much arrived in the North American market with an outdated interior, that isn’t anymore the case with this new model. Most variants come with the latest SYNC4 infotainment that first debuted in the Mustang Mach-E. In the case of the new Ranger, this is controlled via a 10.1- or 12-inch portrait touch screen. Despite having a larger screen, Ford still kept its hard buttons, which is what you would prefer to interact with especially when going through rough roads.

Everything You Need to Know About the 2022 Ford Ranger
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Everything You Need to Know About the 2022 Ford Ranger
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Working in conjunction with the SYNC4 infotainment system is a fully-digital instrument cluster, though Ford has not given any details on how big the screen is. There’s also a built-in modem for the FordPass telematics system that lets owners control vehicle functions and access Ford’s concierge service via their smartphones. Other interior features that the Ranger has are a wireless charging pad and more clever storage solutions, though Ford did not release full details yet on how these work.

Everything You Need to Know About the 2022 Ford Ranger
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Everything You Need to Know About the 2022 Ford Ranger
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Other new features for the 2022 Ford Ranger include a small electronic gear shifter and an electronic parking brake

Apart from these tech features, the new 2022 Ford Ranger’s overall interior design looks far more interesting and appealing compared to the outgoing model. One of its highlights is its small electronic gear shifter and electronic parking brake, for better or worse. There are also various interior color and trim choices available depending on the variant.

The Ford Ranger Is Ready For Your Next Adventure

Everything You Need to Know About the 2022 Ford Ranger
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Everything You Need to Know About the 2022 Ford Ranger
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Thanks to the 1.97-inch increase in width, Ford is proud to highlight that despite being an incremental increase, this provides a noticeable improvement in cargo volume. Ford, however, did not say how much has the bed size increased over the outgoing model, but they say it’s enough to add another “sheet of building plywood or a full-size pallet”.

Speaking of the bed, the new Ranger offers a cargo management system that consists of dividers that can hold various items. Owners can create different compartments using a system of ultra-strong spring-loaded cleats that clip into rails bolted to each side of the cargo box. The tailgate can also double as a mobile workbench with an integrated ruler and clamp pockets, just like in the F-150.

Everything You Need to Know About the 2022 Ford Ranger
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Everything You Need to Know About the 2022 Ford Ranger
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Lastly, the 2022 Ford Ranger comes with Zone Lighting, which provides exterior lighting on all four corners of the Ranger that can be controlled via the FordPass app or the SYNC4 infotainment

Lastly, the Ford Ranger is also available with a feature called Zone Lighting, which first made its debut in the F-150. This set of lights that surround the vehicle can be controlled via the FordPass app or the SYNC4 infotainment system, and this can be useful in your next camping adventure or your construction work.

When Will It Go On Sale?

Everything You Need to Know About the 2022 Ford Ranger
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Everything You Need to Know About the 2022 Ford Ranger
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Swipe up to know more about the new 2022 Ford Ranger and what it has in store

Production of the 2022 Ford Ranger will begin in 2022 in Thailand and South Africa. Ford has not yet revealed when it will arrive in the North American market, but we expect it to arrive for the 2023 model year and look slightly different from the global version. The next-generation Volkswagen Amarok will also be based on the new Ford Ranger, which means its unveiling should also happen quite soon.

2022 BMW 2 Series Coupes Coming Soon

BMW 2 Series coupes

The 2022 BMW 2 Series coupes are on their way. Dynamic testing, drivetrain, and suspension tuning on the two-door compact are nearing conclusion. Production begins in the late summer of 2021.

BMW 2 Series coupesThe new BMW 2 Series is being described as more nimble, agile, and powerful than previous models.

Tuning and testing at Nurburgring’s Nordschleife and on public roads around Munich, the new 2’s drivability is key.

BMW 2 Series coupes

The 230i and M240i AWD will be the first out of the gate, with the 230i xDrive and M240i to follow.

The M240i xDrive has a 3.0 liter, inline 6-cylinder TwinPower turbo under hood, producing 382 horsepower. Backed up by a standard 8-speed sport Steptronic automatic, alas there’s no mention of a manual transmission option.

xDrive AWD systems have an M sport rear differential to add traction and stability while accelerating, according to BMW.

BMW 2 Series coupes

There’s a front lip spoiler, splitter, air curtains, deflectors, and underfloor covers for the fuel tank and rear differential. BMW attributes a 50-percent reduction in front-end lift to the aerodynamic package.

Twelve percent more torsionally rigid than its predecessor, BMW has also increased front and rear tracks to add rigidity.

BMW 2 Series coupes

New shocks enhance ride comfort, while better responding to road conditions. The optional Adaptive M suspension adds electronically-controlled shocks with settings that are more dynamic or comfort-oriented.

Improved road feel comes from new, stiffer front axle support bearings. Another option, variable sports steering, reduces steering effort while improving driving feel.

Meanwhile, the 2 Series is out there killing cones in pursuit of fine-tuning the suspension. We’ve not yet reached the point of cone conservation.

[Images: BMW]

2021 Acura TLX Type S Pricing Revealed

2021 Acura TLX Type S

Ford’s Lightning has stolen the spotlight this week, but another hotly anticipated vehicle is jumping around and waving its arms (metaphorically speaking, as cars don’t have arms) to remind buyers it exists and goes on sale soon. That vehicle is the 2021 Acura TLX Type S.

Pricing will start at $52,300, not including the $1,025 destination charge, when the sport sedan goes on sale on June 23. $800 more gets you a high-performance wheel and tire package.

2021 Acura TLX Type S

Only 2,000 of the cars, which have a 355-horsepower turbo V6, sport suspension with a double-wishbone front setup, Brembo brakes, 20-inch wheels, 10-speed automatic transmission, and Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system, will be sold.

2021 Acura TLX Type S

A build-and-price site is up for consumers, and interested buyers can plunk down a reservation.

It’s no electric truck, but it’s exciting in its own way, especially for those of us who still hold a flame for luxury sport-sedans in what’s become a crossover world.

2021 Acura TLX Type S

It’s also about the same base price as a Lightning XLT. And on sale a year sooner. What’s the better deal, huh?

[Images: Acura]

Buy/Drive/Burn: The Cheapest Full-size, Truck-based SUVs in America for 2021

We continue the Cheapest Of series today on Buy/Drive/Burn, and check out the least expensive full-size truck-based SUVs on sale in America in 2021. And we’ve been generous today and equipped each of them with four-wheel drive to avoid any usability concerns. Today’s trio is very close in price but diverges elsewhere. Let’s go.

Chevrolet Tahoe

The Tahoe is new for 2021, is the cheapest vehicle here. This year it gains a host of updates including an independent rear suspension and some very in-your-face-styling. General Motors believes more trims are better, and offers Tahoe in LS, LT, RST, Z71, Premier, and High Country variations. At the lower end, an LS starts at $49,600, and a High Country is $68,200 before options. Unlike the others here, the power plant depends on trim and is provided via the stalwart 5.3-liter V8, a 6.2-liter V8 (High Country only), or a 3.0-liter inline-six turbodiesel. The 5.3 and diesel are both available at the LS level, and the V8 is slightly cheaper. A 4×4 LS is available in eight different free colors, most of which are grey-ish. Seats are covered in cloth here, but buyers can choose between Jet Black and “Very Dark Atmosphere,” or as you’d call it light gray. A bench seat can replace the front console, but that’ll cost you $250. With no options selected and after the freight charge of $1,695, the Tahoe asks $54,295.

Ford Expedition

Ford’s Expedition is F-150 based as you’d expect and has been on sale in its current guise since the 2018 model year. It’s available in five different trims presently: XL STX, XLT, Limited, King Ranch, and Platinum. Prices range from a base of $49,025 to nearly $74,000 for the Platinum. All trims feature the same 3.5-liter turbocharged EcoBoost V6, which produces 375 horsepower. In XL STX trim, all six available paint colors are free of charge, and one of them is brown. All seats are covered in cloth at this level, and the only color on offer is Ebony. The 4×4 upcharge is added to the acquisition fee of $656 and the destination charge of $1,695 for a grand total of $55,385.

Nissan Armada

The most expensive entry of today’s trio is also the only one from Japan. The Nissan Armada in its current guise is sold as the Patrol elsewhere in the world and shares a body with the more expensive QX80 and a platform with the Nissan Titan. Available in four trims, S, SV, SL, and Platinum, the Armada ranges from $48,600 to over $65,000 before options. All trims share the same naturally aspirated 5.6-liter V8 used across Nissan’s truck line that’s good for 400 horsepower. Colors available for free on the SV 4WD trim include black and silver. Interiors are dark gray or tan, and the leather has an -ette at the end of it. The four-wheel drive and shipping fee add up for a base price on the Armada of $57,095.

Three big SUVs, all of them ask for around $55,000 of your dollars. Which one goes home with you?

[Images: GM, Ford, Nissan]

2022 Cadillac CT4-V and CT5-V Blackwing: Hold That EV Order

Cadillac

Last week, GM announced plans to go 100 percent EV with its light-duty vehicle fleet in less than 15 years. Tonight, Cadillac took the wraps off two high-performance luxury sport sedans that probably won’t pass too many gas pumps.

Talk about whiplash.

To be fair, development lead times are long – almost certainly longer than the time it took GM to come up with its ambitious EV goal. Furthermore, GM’s goal set a target for the dim, distant future, and there’s still room for high-zoot engines on the marketplace – at least in the short term.

Cadillac

The mills here are a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 for the CT5-V Blackwing and a 3.6-liter twin-turbo V6 for the CT4-V Blackwing.

Oh, hey #savethemanuals folks, you should take note – a six-speed manual with rev-matching and no-lift shifting is standard. If clutching is too much work for you, a 10-speed automatic with paddle-shifters is available.

Cadillac

There’s an electronic limited-slip differential, a suspension tuned for sport, magnetic ride control, structural changes that Caddy says will improve steering response and handling for on-track driving, large brakes (Cadillac claims the largest its ever put on a production car – up to 15.67-inch rotors), customizable digital gauges, launch control, and Performance Traction Management.

The V8 is slated to make 668 horsepower and 659 lb-ft of torque and will be hand-built in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It will even be signed. Compared to other versions of this engine, it has a higher-flow air intake and tweaked exhaust system.

Cadillac

It also has a 1.7-liter, four-lobe Eaton blower. Cadillac is claiming a top speed of over 200 mph and a 0-60 time of 3.7 seconds when equipped with the slushbox, as well as a 46 percent improvement in intake airflow over the CTS-V.

Track people, take note of the wet-sump oil system with external oil separator. Other goodies include titanium intake valves and aluminum cylinder heads that are supposed to be stronger and better at handling heat than conventional aluminum-alloy heads.

Cadillac

The V6 appears to be no slouch, either, with 472 horsepower and 445 lb-ft of torque. Intake airflow is projected at 39 percent better than the ATS-V, and the top-speed number is claimed to be 189 mph. Zero to sixty is said to flash by in 3.8 seconds if you opt for the automatic.

Manual-trans cars get titanium connecting rods, and cars with either transmission get a whole bunch of other tweaks, including revised crankshaft counter weights, better temperature control via piston oil squirters, and a cooling system that is meant to improve torque response.

Brakes are Brembos, naturally, with six-piston calipers up front and four-pistons out back, and available carbon ceramics on the CT5-V. Brake-pedal feel can be adjusted via the drive modes.

Both transmissions feature differential cooling.

Cadillac

The suspension tweaks include stiffer spring rates, unique hollow stabilizer bars, and higher-rate bushings. It’s a MacPherson strut setup in front and five-link independent setup out back.

Track rats will like the available carbon-fiber aerodynamics kit and Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires. Wheels are forged aluminum-alloy (standard) and widths are staggered. V6s roll on 18s, with the CT5-V on 19s.

The grilles (yes, plural – the main grille is meant to improve airflow while the secondary grilles assist with airflow and cooling), rear spoiler, front splitter, rear diffuser, and fender vents are among the body panels/features that are tweaked, and all exterior lighting is LED. Underbody panels reduce drag and the aforementioned optional carbon-fiber aero kit reduces lift. The brake calipers are available in different four different colors, while there are three interior trims (base, mid, and top level). Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard along with wireless cell-phone charging.

Cadillac

Interior options will include a head-up display, heated seats, cooled seats, massaging seats, carbon-fiber accents, performance steering wheel, sueded microfiber headliner, uplevel audio, and Performance Data Recorder for on-board video of all your track-day exploits.

If you want one of these cars, Cadillac will happily take your reservation 15 minutes after this post goes live, at 7:30 EST on Feb. 1, 2021. Pricing starts at $59,990 for the CT4-V Blackwing and $84,990 for the CT5-V Blackwing. That’s including the $995 destination fee.

Deliveries begin this summer.

[Images: Cadillac]

2020 Chevrolet Corvette Production Resumes, Gold-Chain Set Relieved

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GM

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Last week, we told you a parts shortage had halted production of the Chevrolet Corvette C8.

Now the lines are rolling again.

The parts-shortage shutdown followed production shutdowns due to a UAW strike and the coronavirus pandemic.

Reports now indicate that 800-850 units of Chevy’s flagship sports car are now rolling off the assembly line in Bowling Green, Kentucky each week, with plans to continue production of 2020 models deep into December, perhaps right up until the holiday break that ends the year.

This after a second shift was added earlier this month to help catch up to demand.

I just drove the C8 for the first time, and contributor Chris gave it high marks, so demand for the ‘Vette is understandable. It’s a damn good car, and of course it’s also the first model year of a new generation. Always catnip when it comes to iconic models — buyers want to be among the first.

Production of the 2020 has been a mess, but what hasn’t in 2020? The report suggests some 2021s could also be built before year’s end if the production shutdowns don’t mess with the planned timeline too much, but who knows? When it comes to making plans, the only certainty in this crazy year is uncertainty.

[Image: Chevrolet/GM]